Apparatus for making pen points



May 15, 1934- I J. E. wooDwARD APPARATUS FOR MAKING PEN POINTS Filed May 7.. 1929 INVENTOR Jkzl. lfoo je %`Qww;; ATTQRNEY Patented May 15, 1934 PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR MAKING PEN POINTS John E. Woodward, New York, N. Y., assigner to Messrs. Kastenhuber & Lehrfeld, New York, N. Y., a partnership consisting ol Charles F. Kastenhuber, William F. Lehrfeld, and Hugo R.

Lehrfeld Application May 7, 1929, Serial No. 361,198

11 Claims.

'This invention relates to writing pens and pen points and to methods and apparatus for forming the points and to methods for attaching the points to the pen bodies.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved highly eflicient pen point which may be very economically manufactured and applied, and which may be made of the usual rare metals and also of baser metals and alloys.

Another object of the invention is to provide an eflicient method for manufacturing the bodies serving as the pen points.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for carrying out this method.

Other objects of the invention are to improve generally the simplicity and eiliciency of such methods, apparatus and pen points and to provide an apparatus of the kind stated which is economical, durable and reliable in operation, and economical to construct.

Still other objects of the invention will appear as the description proceeds; and while herein details of the invention are described and claimed, the invention is not limited to these, since many and various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as claimed in the broader claims.

'Ihe inventive features for the accomplishment of these and other objects are shown herein in connection with improved pens, pen point bodies, methods and apparatus herein fully described.

These may be very briefly stated as follows:

The process comprises causing molten acid resistant metal to fall in the form of molten drops into a cooling fluid and there violently shattering the drops in the liquid to cause the bodies to assume, because of inherent molecular attraction and surface tension, substantially spheroidal shapes in which shapes the drops harden to provide small bodies having curved surfaces of a contour adapted for writing.

These are attached to the pens and then split and polished, the split-apart halves of the bodies retaining said curved surfaces at the point of Contact in writing. A

Thus by this process l. have provided a pen having a pen point comprising complementary parts of a body having round curved and hardened writing surfaces of inherent molecular set and shape.

While other apparatus may be employed, I nd it practicable to use a riddle through which the molten metal flows to form drops which fall into the liquid in a tank having therein a vertical shaft rotated at high speed and carrying one or more horizontal perforated disks fast on the shaft just below the level of the liquid. The drops strike these disks and are violently shattered before they have time to freeze.

Vertical baffles substantially radial t0 the shaft near the disks serve to prevent too much swirling of the liquid.

As is well known pen points are usually made of metals of the platinum group, alloys thereof and similar allied metals. These all possess acid resisting characteristics, are extremely refractory, require high temperatures to reduce and fuse and are, on account of their great wearing qualities especially adapted for such use.

Heretofore, in the customary manufacture of these alloys, the resultant metal must be broken up into suiliciently small pieces by crushing or cracking; and the small pieces about one tenth of a gram, more or less, are of irregular granular shape. The granular piece selected for pen pointing is fused onto a pen, must always be sufiiciently oversize to permit it to be ground down to the desired shape and size. This operation is costly in labor and in loss of the very expensive alloy, and the recovery thereof adds greatly to the cost.

By my improved process and apparatus'I eliminate all of the above losses and cost by a treatment of these alloys whereby the alloy is produced, not in button form for crushing, as in past practice; but by my process I produce directly from the molten metal small, practically perfect pieces in a form for aixing directly to pen-points, thus eliminating grinding, loss of alloy and costs of recovery.

In the accompanying drawing showing, by Way of example, two of many possible embodiments of the apparatus, and several forms of the product,

Fig. 1 is a central vertical sectional view, partly in elevation, showing one form of the apparatus and riddle in use,

Fig. 2 is a plan of the apparatus;

Fig. 3 is a fragmental vertical sectional view, partly in-elevation, showing the upper part o! another form of the apparatus; l

Figs. 4 to 6 are elevations showing various forms of the shot-like bodies; and

Fig. '7 is a perspetcive view showing the shotlike body attached to a pen body.

My improved apparatus l0 for makingv the shot-like bodies of inherent molecular set from rare or baser non-corrosive metals for the manufacture of the pen points, receives the shotlike molten metal 1l from a riddle 12 hereishown as comprising a vessel having a lateral handle 14 and a perforated bottom 15, though it is noted that other'drop forming means may be used if desired.

The molten metal flows through said bottom to be divided-thereby into drops 13; and the ap- Paratus 10 further divides the molten metal. Said apparatus 10 comprises a tall upright cylindrical tank 17 supported by legs 18 and adapted tobe filled with water or other suitable cooling liquid 18?- over which said riddle 12 is disposed.

'Ifheqtank has a' lower eccentrically disposed verticalbearing opening 20 provided with a suitable packing 21; and a bracket 22 on the wall of the tank a little below the level of the liquid is provided with a bearing 23 vertically alined with said bearing opening.

Said bearing and opening together carry a rotary vertical shaft 25 eccentric to the tank and projecting above the bearing and below the tank.

A motor 26 is mounted on the lower face of the bottom of the tank; and intermeshing gears 27, 28 are mounted fasten said shaft, and the motor shaft 29, whereby the vertical'shaft is driven at high speed by said motor.

A pair of slightly spaced horizontal upper and lower perforated circular disks 30 and 31 are provided with hubs 32 fast on the vertical shaft above said bearing just below the level of the liquid whereby the disks are supported by, and rotate with. the shaft. The upper disk 30 may be about one-eighth of one inch from the level of the liquid, and the disks may be about a hait an inch apart, though the invention is not thus 4 limited. 'Ihe perforations 34 of the upper disk may be slightly larger than those of the lower disk and the perforations may be varied in size,

if desired.

The shot-like drops 13 of molten metal from the riddle strike the rapidly revolving upper disk where a portion of them are shattered and cooled and thrown outwardly, other portions passing through the perforations 34 of vthe upper disk, reach the lower disk and are further broken up and thrown outwardly, some passing through the lower perforations.

A plurality of vertical baffles 35 (Fig. 2) secured approximately equal angles apart on the tank wall substantially radial to the vertical shaft almost in contact with disks are adapted to minimize the swirling of water in the tank under the influence of the rotation of the disks and vertical shaft. 'I'he eccentricity of vthe disks also aids in retarding the swirling.

The apparatus of Fig. 3 is similar to the apparatus of Fig. 1 except that only one disk 40 is provided. This disk is just below the level of the liquid, and is provided with an upstanding perforated wall.

The drops 13 are shattered by the disk 40 into smaller drops, some of which pass through the perforations of the disk and some through the perforations of the wall and are further shattered.

The further shattered drops pass downwardly and freeze into small bodies 43 (Figs. 1 and 3) and collect in the bottom at 44, and'may be removed from time to time.

With either apparatus molten acid resistant metal 11 falls in molten drops 13 a short distance into the cooling liquid medium 18 where a striking and 'shattering of said drops takes place, before they freeze, to form small -molten bodies which sink in the liquid as at 43, substantially out of contact with other structure until the bodies assume under their own molecular surface tension a natural inherent molecular set of inherent substantially spherical, spheroidal and pear like shapes 45, 46, 47 (Figs. 4 to 6) and are superficially hardened and frozen in said shapes with a curved surface of a shape adapted for writing. The hardened bodies are then secured to pens and then split and polished, said surface, at the writing point, being retained free of grinding to form the writing surface.

Figs. 4 to 6 show the various pear shaped, spherical and spheroidal forms of bodies 45, 46 and47 made by the herein described process. All of these forms provide suitable writing points Q3 after mounting merely by splitting and polishing but without grindingas heretofore. Fig. 7 shows a pen 48 having the one of the bodies applied to form the point thereon slightly enlarged to show the characteristic finished point 50. A large percent of the pieces produced by the process are suitable for pen points and when graded, to suit the size of pen to which they are fitted, to permit the usual fusing to a pen point, and after being split andl polished by the usual methods, present a perfect writing point.

After the direct production of the molten alloy into the shot-like form they may be sorted, as to size, by sifting in a suitable sieve such as a seed pearl sieve.

After sorting and grading the points are distributed to pen manufacturers in required sizes, to be affixed to the pens.

It is obvious from the foregoing that I have. by the production of the metal into shot-like bodies, produced a pen point or tip which is preformed as to its structure, into a round writing point ofdesirable character, which, after being afxed to the pen, requires no grinding to shape it, and therefore no loss of material, both of these 315 economies being considerable. Further, by the direct production of the shot from the melt, the intermediate operation of crushing to the finer sizes is eliminated.

As a result of the shot-like,- preformed, point 120 manufacture, the resultant points, owing to their structure, present an outer spherical or curved surface of a more uniform nature and may be more readily fitted to the pen in the usual manner, with less actual grinding and treatment of the pen itself, than heretofore, thereby providing pens of a more uniform pointing than has heretofore been possible.

i This last noted feature is an important one, not only in an economical sense, but in that it permits of practically duplicate production of pens having like structural characteristics, as to their points. While I have, inthe foregoing, referred to the use of rare alloys as a base for my improved pen points, it is to be here pointed out that other 1,-:5

and baser metals such as Monel metal and similar non-precious non-corrodible metals may also be used to form pen points. The formation of these baser metals into spheroidal 'points cause these metals to become very hard and thereby be also suitable for use as pen points. This invention is therefore not limited to the use of a rarer metalfor this purpose, as I include, also,Y

any suitable metal having the useful characteristics of hardness, non-corrodibility and fusibility with pens.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination, a liquid container, a perforated container disposed above said rst container for dispensing molten metal in drops. and

a revolvable disk disposed in said first container below the liquid level for shattering said drops, whereby the liquid may set the material. of said drops, as shattered.

2. In combination, a liquid container, a molten metal container disposed above said first'container and having apertures therein, a revolvable disk having also apertures therein and disposed below the liquid level in said first container, and means for revolving said disk, whereby molten metal descending through said first apertures may be shattered by said disk and partly passed through said second apertures to be then immediately set in the shattered condition by the liquid.

3. In combination, a liquid container, ya molten metal container disposed above said first container and' having in the wall thereof apertures, a shaft revolvably disposed in said first container, a disk rigidly mounted on said shaft below the liquid level and having also apertures therein, and means for revolving said shaft with its mounting so that molten metal descending through said first apertures may be shattered into small particles by said diskand partly passed through said second apertures, whereby said particles may be set in globular form by the liquid before reaching the material of said first container.

4. In combination, a tank for liquid; means for causing molten acid resistant metal to fall in molten drops a short distance into the liquid; a rotary disk just below the level of the liquid; and a perforated wall around said disk.

5. Apparatus for making pen points, comprising a tank for a cooling liquid medium; means v for causing molten acid resistant metal to fall in molten drops a short distance .into said liquid medium; and means just beneath the level of the liquid for shattering said molten metal drops.

6. An apparatus for making pen points, comprising a tank for cooling liquid; means for causing molten acid resistant metal to fall in molten drops a short distance into the cooling liquid; and means for striking and shattering said drops in the liquid before they freeze, to

form small molten bodies; the tank being suili-` ciently large to retain the molten, bodies in the liquid substantially out of contact with other structure until the bodies assume inherent molecular substantially sphericaL-spheroidal and pear like shapes and are superflcially hardened and frozen in said shapes with a curved surface of a shape adapted for writing.

'7. An apparatus comprising atall upright cylindrical tank adapted to befllled with liquid; means for causing molten acid `resistant metal to fall in molten drops. ashort distance into the liquid;' said tank having' a lower, eccentrically disposed vertical bearingopening provided with a suitable packing; a bracket on the wall of the tank a little below the level of the liquid and provided with a bearingvertically alined' with said bearing opening; a vertical shaft in said bearing and opening eccentric to the tank and projecting above the bearing and below the tank; a rmotor mounted on the lower face of the bottom of the tank and provided with a `hori zontal shaft; intermeshing gears fast on said shafts whereby the vertical shaft is driven at high speed by said motori a pair of slightly spaced horizontal upper and lower perforated circular disks disposed in theliquid below 4said means and provided with lower hubs fast on the vertical shaft above said bearing just below the level of the liquid; and a plurality of vertical baliles secured approximately at equal angles apart on the tank wall substantially radial to the vertical shaft and almost in contact with said disks.

8. In combination, a tank for liquid; means for causing molten acid resistant metal to fall in molten drops a short vdistance into the liquid; a horizontal rotary disk disposed below said lmeans below and near the level of the liquid; and means to retard swirling of the liquid.

9. Apparatus for making shot-like bodies of inherent molecular set from rare or baser noncorrosive metals for the manufacture of pen points, said apparatus comprising a riddle comprising a vessel having a lateral handle and a perforated bottom, through which the molten metal may ow to be divided thereby; and apparatus for further dividing the metal, comprising' a tall upright cylindrical tank adapted to be filled with water or other suitable liquid over which said riddle is disposed; said tankhaving a lower eccentrically disposed vertical bearing opening provided with 'a suitable packing; a bracket on the wall of the tank a little below the level of the liquid and provided with a bearing vertically alined with said bearing opening; a vertical shaft in said bearing and opening eccentric to the `tank and projecting above the bearing and below the tank; slightly spaced horizontal perforated disks fast on the shaft just below the level of the liquid; and vertical bailles substantially radial to the shaft near the disk.

l0. The combination with a container for dropping molten metal, of a revolvable shaft having rigid therewith and disposed below the container a disk, a second container for carrying liquid partly above said disk, said shaft being journalled k in said second container, which latter includes a wall portion adjacent one part of the peripheral edge of said disk, said disk adapted to shatter the molten metal assaid metal descends, whereby the shattered portions may be set in globular form in the liquid before reaching said wall portion,.and a second wall portion of said container disposed distant from the opposite edge of said disk to prevent swirling of the liquid.

11. In combination, a liquid container, a revolvable perforated disk of reduced diameter eccentrically disposed in said container, there being a space adjacent said disk at one side of said container, said disk disposed just below the liquid level and adapted to carry molten metal thereon, so that on .revolution of said disk molten metal descending through the perforations may be shattered whereby to form metal globules in the liquid, and `means disposed in said space for preventing swirling ofthe liquid during the revolution.

JOHN E. WOODWARD. 

